Gluten Free (and Healthy!) Recipe: Cauliflower Crust Pizza

This one's for my gluten-free friends out there!  Or, for those who are looking for a new way to get their much needed vegetables in their diet, this is a creative alternative to making pizza crust. 

Finished product(:

To make this crust, all you need is...

• a bag of frozen cauliflower (or one head of califlower, grated)
• 1 egg

That's all!

Directions:

1. Take your frozen cauliflower and steam it in the microwave (or grate/chop your fresh califlower).  
1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. 
2. Use a food processor or blender, and combine the cauliflower your just worked with with the egg.  
3. Take your cookie sheet and spray it with nonstick.  Mold your cauliflower/egg mixture into the shape of a crust.  
4. Bake for about 10 minutes (check on it periodicaly in case it ends up cooking faster than expected-you don't want it to burn!)
5. Add any sauce, cheese, meat, or veggies you want.  I recommend sauteeing any meat or veggies ahead of time in a little olive oil before adding it to the pizza (then, the ingredients will cook down and the pizza will turn out better).  Season however you wish!  It should bake for about 5 minutes at most before it is done, but that depends on your oven.  
6. Enjoy!

I added sauteed veggies, marinara, mozarella, and chicken sausage to mine!

Yes, I did eat the whole thing.

Healthy Recipes: Banana Peanut Butter "Sushi"

Here is another way for you to use up those wraps or tortillas for healthy meal on-the-go! 

I call this peanut butter and banana "sushi".  Not only is a cute way to make a meal for children that's healthy and fun (attention: moms, dads, and babysitters!), but it's also a super yummy and quick meal for adults too.  It's cheap to make, and the list of ingredients can be bought in bulk to make lunches all week.

I got this idea from Taralynn from Simply Taralynn.  Her lifestyle blog is great-check it out! Here is the link:
simplytaralynn.com/


Ingredients:
-Whole wheat wrap, flatbread, or tortilla
-Bananas
-your choice of nut butter (I used a mixture of PB2 and Earth Balance's coconut peanut spread)

Take your tortilla and spread the nut butter all over it. Then, put in your peeled banana.

Cut into small "sushi" bites.

Wrap it up...

And, that's it!

I recommend refrigerating it for an hour or so before eating-it is absolutely delicious cold (this was Taralynn's tip; such a great idea!)



Mix it up with some sliced apples, berries, dried fruit, dark chocolate chips, whatever you like!

Post-Marathon Recovery: Zero Week

As promised, I wanted to provide you all with a little reflection on my experience during "zero week" (by Hal Higdon).  This is referred to as the week after the marathon where you rest and recover. 

I completely underestimated the effect the marathon would have on me after-the-fact, to be honest.  When you are training for something like a marathon, all you can think of is the race itself.  I almost couldn't fathom something like an aftermath.  I have been training for so long that I am used to the constant running/sleeping/eating cycle.  Now, I feel a bit lost.  I am getting used to a normal person's life, at least that is what I am referring to it as at least!  I enjoy it and hate it all at the same time. 

Soreness

• The Day of the Race: I experienced a little soreness as soon as I stopped moving.  A hot shower helped, but once I sat down, I felt my body stiffen and clench.  I foam rolled post-hot shower (to the best of my ability).  I took an ibuprofen before the race, and I took two total the afternoon/evening I came home.
• The Day After: I was extremely sore.  I experienced a lot of waddling around.  I tried to take the escalator as much as possible, but living in the city, walking/stairs are unavoidable.  Ibuprofen and a heating pad helped, but I was feeling really run down.  My back and neck experienced the most pain.
• Two Days Later: I was slightly less sore, but I felt really run down still.  I had to teach a spin class that day, so I opted out and told my class what to do.  I do not normally do this, but my body wasn't cooperating on the bike.
• Three Days Later:  This is when the soreness began to alleviate.  I finally was walking normally, and I sprung for a sports massage this day.  It helped a lot with the extreme stiffness I was experiencing.

Nutrition

• The Day of the Race: I had a decent breakfast and some gels/chews during the race.  I rehydrated with pure water, but that was it.  I wasn't very hungry when I stopped running, but I forced myself to eat.  I had a Powerbar that was provided after the race, and a container of Kashi cereal they gave me as well on the car ride home.  When I got home, my family and friends shared some Neapolitan pizza and pasta dishes (compliments of my parents-thank you again guys!).  It was light but carb-y enough for recovery.  It also had some good fats (olive oil) and protein from the cheese, so I was set!  I had some Nuun tablets in my water as well because I was really dehydrated.
• The Day After:  I was extremely hungry this day.  I think my body was making up for the lack of appetite I experienced post-race.  I ate whenever I was hungry, and it honestly felt like every hour.  I tried to eat a lot of protein and omega-3's for recovery.  I also made sure that I had, for the most part, healthy and wholesome meals/snacks.  I began paying more attention to Vitamin C because your immune system suffers greatly after the race. I took my usual supplement as well as ate a lot of fruit.

Rest

• I took 3 consecutive days off of exercise entirely to recover.  I started feeling ready to exercise the Wednesday after the race (which was on Sunday), but I wanted to give it an extra day, just in case.  These types of races are very hard on the body, and although you may not be experiencing a lot of soreness, you can still be recovering in your muscles as well as skeletal system. 
• Many say take a week off entirely of exercise, but everyone is different!  My advice is to listen to your body and educate yourself by reading up on different books and articles, as well as asking advice from seasoned marathoners, to make the best decision for you!
• I have not run since the race.  I felt giving myself a week off of running (and to cross train instead) was the best call since I have a knee injury.  I may try a short run today, being a week later, but I have not decided yet.  I do not want to push my knee too far.  I am also still recovering overall; it takes the body 2-4 weeks to fully recover from a marathon, so although I feel like I can exercise, I may need to still take it easy.
• This week's schedule:
• Tuesday and Wednesday: Extremely light biking (only because I taught spin)
• Thursday:  1 hour on the elliptical, doing interval work mostly.  I avoided adding a lot of weight and gear work to make it easier on my knees and hips.  I kept a moderate gear and did heart rate manipulation for the most part.
• Friday: Cycle 55, 40 minute easy walk with a friend
• Saturday: Elliptical 45 minutes 
• Sunday: I plan to either rest or run an easy 3 miles (I haven't decided yet...)
• It feels weird taking so many days off, but I was in a very intense training schedule for 4 months.  It is better than taking months off due to injury for pushing myself too hard!  Keep that in mind whenever you are in recovery.
• I also did not do the 2 spin classes I had to teach on Tuesday and Wednesday.  I rode the bike at a super low gear, and I gave direction.  I also demonstrated exercises to the classes that included new people.  Luckily, explaining the reason I was resting helped clear things up, and my students understood completely.

Race Recap: My First Marathon

I could write an entire novel about this experience, but I am honestly too beat to do anything close to that.  Expect a bit of a longer post, though.  I do want to give you all a little rehash of this weekend, and I hope you enjoy hearing my story!

My friends met up with me after the race! Brian, Stephanie, Lisa, Keegan, and Kaelynn (from left to right). I love you all!

This marathon has been all I could talk about for the last few months.  Tapering made it real, as odd as that sounds.  I realized that I was taking the last steps of this process, and I think that made it finally settle.  The weekend kicked off with a team dinner the Friday before the race.  We went to a really nice Italian restaurant where Nike set us up with hors d'oeuvres, guest speakers, and a ton of courses to eat!  Everyone talked about their nervousness and excitement, and we all got to know each other a little better.  My teammates and I dressed to the nines, and we all bonded that night.  The night ended with a cute little gelato bar after dinner, and I headed home after seeing some friends for a full night's sleep (because I knew that I wouldn't have one the proceeding night).

This overwhelming menu was adorable! Thanks, Nike!

Guest speakers at the dinner!

I was lucky to have the Expo to look forward to and spend my day at that Saturday.  Because I do not like to skip exercise and rest, I had a lot of energy to get out while tapering, and this Expo distracted me and filled up a good chunk of my day.  I was excited to see what it would bring me.  I planned on looking at marathon swag for me and my family, as well as stock up on free samples and buy the nutrition I needed for the race.  I met up with my friend Kaitlynn at the Expo, and we got so excited at all the cool stands and free stuff.  We kind of overdid it with the samples...both of us left with full bags.

Kaitlynn and I posing by Lincoln Park at the Nike stand. They made such a sick marathon map!

The Expo Entrance

I also for the first time met my fellow blogging friend, Courtney Brown of runandbehappy.com. Check her blog out-It's the best running blog I have read. She has been a great supporter in my marathon process via email, and she is an inspiring runner.  (Congrats on your race, Courtney!  You should be so proud.)

Courtney and I

At the Expo, I bought some new goo's, a tear away sweatshirt (disposable sweatshirt to rip off and decorate before the race begins, keeps you really warm!), and the coolest shirts for my dad and I from Nike.  Here are the links to the shirts.
my shirt-->    http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/pd/dri-fit-long-sleeve-v-neck-2014-chicago-marathon-t-shirt/pid-10256575/pgid-10256576
for Dad--> http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/pd/cotton-long-sleeve-2014-chicago-marathon-t-shirt/pid-10256538/pgid-10256539

The goo flavors I bought were:
-Chocolate Peanut Butter, Salted Watermelon, Root Beer, Caramel Macchiato, Vanilla Bean, and Salted Caramel (To be honest, I was wary of some of these new flavors, like Watermelon, Root beer, and Macchiato, but I wanted something to look forward to during the run.  Unfortunately, you look forward to things like new goo flavors during long runs.  It's a bit sad.)

After the Expo, I made a pre-race dinner of white pasta with spinach and shrimp as well as marinara sauce.  I wanted to carb-load right.  Normally, I would do whole wheat pasta with tons of veggies (my favorite), but I was trying my hardest to avoid too much fiber before the race.  Trust me on this one...

Race Day Outfit

That morning, I woke at 5:10am, and it was pitch black out.  All of my stuff was laid out from the afternoon before because I wanted to be prepared.  As I predicted, I woke up a lot and did not feel rested.  My nervous/excited energy got me out of bed, though.  I got ready and prepared my usual pre-race breakfast of oatmeal with pb&j.  I stuck it in some tupperware to bring to the Race Day Resort that Nike set up for us at Roosevelt University.  I had a banana in my bag for before the race as well.  I was nervous to eat the whole banana and upset my stomach because I brought it to the starting gate, so I just had half.  My friends decorated my tear away sweatshirt for the race, and it was the sweetest thing.  I was so excited to wear it but even more disappointed with the thought of getting rid of it once the race began.

Race Day Resort that Nike set up for us with Chicago Endurance Sports at Roosevelt University.

My friends Brian, Lisa, and Nick decorated this!

Me showing off my "Back Bib" that said "Nana e solidita. Anche io." Italian, Translation: Nana is strong. So am I."

I began running around 7:40 in the first wave, and the energy was incredible.   I could not describe the excitement that vibrated in the air to you.  It was a once in a lifetime chance to see the crowd of runners all beginning their journey together. 

The race itself was one of the most painful experiences of my life.  I started feeling wary of the distance from the beginning, to be honest.  I like to mentally prepare myself for things that I embark on, and this was no exception.  I saw everyone start the race at a fast and excited pace, and I refused to join.  Although I was being passed up like crazy, I was trying to be realistic about conserving my energy.  I struggled throughout the entire race, so I am glad I did not enhance this further by starting off too fast.

By the middle of the race, I realized that this was where the rest of the crowd was catching up with my bleak mindset.  More people started walking.  Less people were talking.  When we hit mile 16 and then on, the real struggles for the racers began.  I saw a lot of people hit their "walls".  I think that the crowd was the only thing that got us through, to be honest.  The thought of meeting up with my family at mile 22 was the only thing keeping me going until that point.  I have only made it to mile 20 previously in training, and that was the thing that scared me the most.  Every time I doubted myself, though, I thought of what I was thankful for (the people in my life).  I made a list on Friday of the people I am most thankful for and dedicated a mile to each of them.  Honestly, my expectation was to only bring this list up every few miles, but I found myself thinking of it every single mile. My last mile was for my Nana, and she was the one I thought of the most to give me strength during the race.  She is so strong, and I wanted to be strong too.

In terms of race nutrition, during the race, I had 4 goo's (GU brand), and 2 chews (Chomp brand).  The flavors of goo I had were at Mile 5 Salted Watermelon, Mile 10 Caramel Macchiato, Mile 15 Root Beer, and Mile 20 Chocolate Peanut Butter.  The chews were raspberry flavored, which had a lot of caffeine (thank goodness).  It was disgusting to have so many but it needed to be done.  Having one goo or two during a race or long run is fun and fine, but you get way sick of these things after so long.  You just want real food.

I could not be more grateful to have my family there.  They waited around for me starting at 10 am and did not see me until around 12:30 or 1.  I am not sure.  They chased me through Chicago, and they had fun signs.  They were hugely supportive of me during all of my training, my biggest supporters.  At Mile 22, I finally saw them, and I was so relieved.  It took a huge weight off my shoulders.  That was when I started to enjoy the race, in all honesty.  They were the physical evidence of my motivation and inspiration, and they reminded me why I was running.  My dad jumped in with me and ran until Mile 24.  I talked his ear off, and it helped the time pass so much.  I am so happy he did this.  Although it is not the best thing to do (if we are talking racing morals, who cares when you are torturing yourself for hours), it was the best thing for me.  I needed the support more than anything at that point.  I saw my mom and brother at Mile 24/25ish where my dad dropped off, and I started my home stretch.  The end was finally in sight.

I had my friends to look forward to in the crowd.  They were at the .2 part of the race, and I really needed that support.  They waited for hours, and it was so sweet of them.  They made me posters and cheered me on so loudly when I passed.  I needed that boost because after I parted with them, I realized the finish line was near but the thing that was separating me from it was a hill.  I have no idea why they did that to us, hahaha!  I was grateful to have such an amazing tour of Chicago, though.  I got to see the true heart and soul of it, and I am so proud to call it my home.

Crossing that finish line with my fellow runners was exhilarating and inspiring.  I could not believe the incredible group of people I ran with.  I recapped the race in my head with vision of injured runners pushing themselves, those that pushed their running boundaries (like a man with cerebral palsy running the race), watching people reunite with their friends and family and the love I saw out of that, the support and energy from the never-ending crowd, and seeing a few friends along the way.  I saw my friend Gina, Rachel, Kaitlynn, and many of my Nike team members.  It was a helpful boost, to say the least!

I reunited with my family and friends after the race, and we recapped the whole thing.  We went straight home, and ordered some pizza and pasta to share at my apartment.  All I wanted was a shower and to relax, so it was the perfect thing! I ended my evening with some much needed frozen yogurt (I saw so many yogurt places during my run, and it was torture) and finally watching American Horror Story with my roommates (which was terrifying to watch before bed-I regret that). 

I insisted on bringing my medal to Yogurtland.  Why not, right?

I was not aiming for a specific time, nor did I have a goal besides finishing.  I felt I had realistic expectations when I got injured during training.  At first, I wanted to run it without walking.  After my injury, my goal was just to finish in general, whatever it took, walking, crawling, whatever.  My knee was acting up during the race, and I was honestly expecting to walk part of it.  Unexpectedly, although my time was painfully slow, I finished the race and did not walk at all.  I am proud of myself, and I can definitely say slow and steady finishes the race.

I just wanted to say thank you to all of those who supported me throughout this process.  It was my pipe dream before, and now I am proud to say I accomplished my impossible.  My family was the biggest support system for me, and I am so happy they came.  My friends were a huge part of this too, and I want to say thank you to them as well.  Finally, my Nike team and all of Chicago are the last I want to thank.  They made this my reality, and I am so proud of myself.  I feel unstoppable.

Will I run another marathon?  For the foreseeable future, probably not.  I got injured quite a few times, and I do not want to hurt myself to the point of never running again.  It is one of the true and peaceful joys I have in life.  I love it so much.  I am happy to have reached my dream, and at this point, I won't allow myself to get too greedy with it(:  I do love to race; don't get me wrong.  I think half marathons (I want to improve my speed) are a more realistic distance for me.  I enjoy running in general, so I am happy to have reached this runner milestone/right of passage.

Well, that is all for now!  I'll be sure to post this week about my experience with "Zero Week" (basically, the recovery process) later.  So far...It's pretty painful hahaha. I've officially declared war on stairs as of today.

Finally, I would like to wrap up with a thank you.  Thank you, everyone, for your encouragement and kind words. Also, congratulations to every marathoner from yesterday.  You should be so proud!

#twosixpoints2 #ownchicago @nikechicago #chicagomarathon2014

Healthy, Busy Lifestyle Recipe: On-the-Go Wraps!

This is one way to create a delicious, cheap, and healthy alternative to grabbing a fast food burger down the street on-the-go.  If you buy the ingredients for wraps, you can make a healthy option that is easy, affordable, and portable.  Pick one day a week to go grocery shopping and get a few of these wrap ingredients:

Pick your ingredients, roll it up, cut in half, enjoy!

Must Buy:
-Tortilla or Flatbread (preferrably whole wheat or whole grain)

Protein:
-Beans (black, chickpeas, etc)
-Tofu
-Turkey Breast (sliced)
-Chicken Breast  (sliced)
-Peanut/almond Butter

Garnishes, toppings (jams, fruits, spreads, cheese, you name it):
-Lettuce
-Spinach
-Hummus
-Honey Mustard
-Avocado
-Low fat cheese
-Cucumber
-Pickles
-Bell Peppers
-low fat dressings
-carrots
-guac and salsa
-tomato sauce (that you can make a pizza wrap with mozarella, veggies, etc)
-Banana, strawberries, apples, jam, etc (for the pb or almond butter option)

You can make these the night before, and grab them on your way out the door! They save you lots of money and time.  For the price of buying a wrap with a side, drink, and salad/soup at your local deli, you could buy a weeks worth of ingredients to make this lunch option.

Here is an idea for the wrap that I made earlier this week:
Ingredients:
-Flatbread (whole wheat)
-Turkey breast slices
-cucumber (about 1/3 of it)
-spinach (about a cup)
-1 tbs of honey mustard
-pickles
-avocado

Took me five minutes to assemble, and it was yummy and filling! 

Healthy Recipes: Protein Oatmeal

Hi, all!

I apologize for the lack of posting!  Life has been incredibly hectic lately, but I will try to pick up the posting a little more.  I have another oatmeal recipe for you, inspired by this restaurant I visited called The Protein Bar.  I decided to make my own and find another use for my protein powders besides from smoothies. 

Basically, this restaurant (which I highly recommend-it's hard to find a "fast food" place that is based on healthy, wholesome options.  I came in for breakfast because I was traveling back to campus, and it was close to the train.  They had an item called "Pancake in a Bowl", which was milk, oats, agave, protein powder, and whatever toppings you want (i.e. fresh fruit, raisins, etc). 

I got the vanilla version with vanilla protein powder, nonfat milk, steel cut oats, bananas, and strawberries, and I asked them to leave out the agave.  It was perfectly sweet on its own without the agave.  They had so many types of milk, protein, and toppings to choose from (like vegan powder, almond milk, etc).  Anyone can dine here.  I definitely want to try their burritos or salads sometime.

So, I made a version of this oatmeal, my favorite breakfast, and it turned out really nicely!  I hope you like it.  It's easy, filling, and quick.  It was the perfect recovery breakfast after my last long run of my marathon training (the race finally is almost here-8 days!).

Ingredients/Directions:
-Cook 1/4 cup steel cut oats or 1/2 cup of rolled oats as you normally do, with water or your choice of milk.
-Add your protein powder after transferring your cooked oats into a bowl to eat.  Mix well.  (I used half a scoop of Gaspari Nutrition Peanut Butter Cookie Powder).
-Top as desired (I did half a banana and some strawberries).

Done!  Enjoy(: 

PS-This could be a great overnight oats idea as well!  This meal would be delicious cold as well.